Digital transformation generally refers to the integration of digital technology into all areas of a business. This transformation usually results in fundamental changes to business culture, operational processes and value delivery to customers. Digital transformation often involves leadership changes, different thinking, the encouragement of innovation, new business models, agile development and an increased use of technology throughout the organization. The goals of digital transformation include faster company growth, better operational efficiency and greater profitability.
Enterprises involved in digital transformation seek technical solutions to improve customer experience, operational agility, corporate culture and leadership, workforce enablement and technology integration. A mix of digital technologies can enable changes in a strategic and prioritized way, in alignment with corporate goals. Key drivers of digital transformation include customer behavior, anytime-anywhere access expectations, the expanding use of mobile devices, market competition, industry disruption and technical innovation.
For most organizations, digital transformation is a journey with several intermediate milestones leading to continuous improvement across processes, divisions and the business ecosystem (employees, partners, suppliers, distributors, retailers and customers). To meet business needs with agility and flexibility, while maintaining data privacy and security, many enterprise IT departments are modernizing their data centers to a software-defined infrastructure. A software-defined infrastructure can provide faster access to digital resources, enabling development, test and operations teams to adopt DevOps methodologies that help deliver new applications to market faster. This type of infrastructure enables the storage, processing and networking needs of digital transformation while reducing both capital and operating expenses. Open source solutions from SUSE offer the ability to leverage existing IT investments with the stability, business continuity and scalability that enterprises require.